Snow fell gently as the lights in the building flickered on, giving the place a warm and cozy look. A sign above the door swayed in the slight wind. It was a red rose with icicles hanging from the petals. If one were to step inside, they would see that the building was modeled to look like a ski lodge; stacked log walls, large fireplace, and framed photos of different places on the walls. Tables were set up, 4 chairs to each table. There was a stage to the left, and a stock of every instrument you could imagine, from every world created. A Twi'lek changes the 'closed' sign to 'open' then motions you inside.

"Think of this place as a... Realm between realms. My name is Off, and I'm the owner of The Winter Rose. This is a place where anyone from any world or universe can meet, tell stories, and simply relax. Food and drink here is free as well as boarding. Before I invite you into my inn, I have a few rules I would like you to know about."

She points to a billboard on the wall behind the bar.

First: No fighting in the inn.

Second: No unattended weapons allowed on the table. (If I find it and no one claims it, I keep it)

Third: Be respectful of other guests.

Fourth: Be respectful of anyone who decides to perform.

Fifth: Racism is not tolerated here.

Sixth: Please do not trash the inn rooms.

"If you need anything, feel free to come to the bar and talk to me. For now, please enjoy yourself here in the Winter Rose!"

A dark haired girl sat in one of the corner booths, sipping on a hot chocolate that was a strange red color. In the seat across from her was a puppet, seemingly alive. It wasn't eating or drinking anything, but it seemed to be speaking and having a conversation with the girl.

"Nyx, you relax now." it's speech was a bit broken, but what would you expect from a wooden creation?

A cloaked figure had entered the building and promptly shut the front door behind, the backdraft blowing off the snow-covered brown hood from his head. An iguana anthromorph sighed and refused to bother fixing his hood, his long green and teal spines rather difficult to cover under so little fabric. He smelled the air for a moment before heading over to another secluded table, not wanting to bother anyone by his presence.

As he walked, then sat, light jingling could be heard from underneath his cloak. He tried to silence the noise as best he could, but the more he fidgeted, the more of a fuss it became. Frustrated, he exhaled and looked around, trying not to move so much. It seemed like it was still relatively early, so there were very few people here. One of them, in the corner across from himself, looked odd... like it was made of wood or something.

It looked like it was talking to the girl next to it. He'd never seen anything like it... he may have been staring a bit too long before he realized it, and turned away upon recognizing this.

A tall, thin platinum-blonde haired girl sits on a broken chair close to the bar. She'd been waiting for some soup she ordered before the brown cloaked being arrived. Once he got there, though, she wasn't sure what to make of him; she'd never seen anything like him before.

Not to mention, there was another girl talking to what looked like a puppet, but she couldn't tell for sure. She then leaned over the bar counter and asked the nearest tender, "Does the Winter Rose get guests like this all the time?"

Off smiled at the girl and slid her the steaming bowl of soup she had been waiting on as she asked her question.

"Oh yes. The Winter Rose is where people from anywhere and everywhere come together and get to know each other. Think of this as a... realm between realms. People come here from wherever they're from, meet others from different realms, then go home until the doorway to come back opens next month."

She stepped over to the hooded male and handed him his order, giving him a smile.

"I appreciate this," the Iguana man returned, accepting the drink with a bow of his head. Waiting for it to cool off a little, he continued. "May I ask if you have any rooms available for the night? See, there's been some problems at home lately and I was hoping if you had the space. Oh, and how much would that cost?"

Her blue eyes watched the soup slosh around as it glided over to her. She caught it with one hand - surprisingly, it didn't scald her fingers! - and picked up the spoon in the other, stirring it around before trying some.

"Mmmm, I can see why! This food is great. If I asked more about the hows and whats, though I think my head might spin!" she joked, taking another spoonful of goodness. "Were you always the owner, Off?"

Nyx looked over at everyone and gave a wave, sending off a friendly vibe. She then went back on to talking with her puppet.

"As we were saying before," the puppetmaster continued. "Colossus is almost complete. I'm just missing a few pieces that I can't make."

"We find pieces?" the Pierrot asked, taking a sip from a cup filled with sawdust and water.

"Perhaps in a while, we came here to enjoy ourselves."

The door flew open once more, as another girl walked in. This one had black hair as well, but up in pigtails. An orange scarf covered most of her lower face, while her eyepatch took up a bit more. She brushed the snow from her bare shoulders as two dog-like creatures followed her into the inn. Loka took a seat at the bar next to the Iguana man.

"Lemme git an ale? An' a couple o' bowls of water for m' dogs?" She spoke, a southern accent clearly heard.

"Yeah, I've always run this place. After I left my home world of Courscant, I found myself wandering. Met a guy, he gave me access to this place. At first it was empty, but off the Credits I got, It turned it into this inn. Took a little extra to get the trans-dimensional door working."

She then turned to the Iguana man and smiled, handing him a key.

"Don't worry about cost. Just wanna make sure you're fed and get a good rest."

Now Off turned to the newcomer, and raised an eyebrow. It wasn't everyday someone brought a pet in with them. She simply nodded and proceeded to get her drinks.